Irish community rocking the Bronx this July 4th weekend

To celebrate July 4, a great lineup from both sides of the Atlantic will converge in Gaelic Park on July 6. The sounds offered on this day guarantee a great diversity that will appeal to every palette.
Padraig Allen and the McLean Avenue Band is a crowd-pleasing group at the crossroads of folk, country and trad that is familiar to many.

Dublin’s the Von Shakes might not be such a household name. The group members, leader Paddy Brazel, Hugh O’Reilly (guitar) and Cillian McSweeney (bass), have been together since school in Howth, Co. Dublin. They all attended the same school and have known each other since childhood, which calls to mind U2. Their power punk pop, however, calls to mind The Strokes.

Another band that has been together since a very young age is Girsa, a feisty and fiery group of lasses that have rocked the area with their youthful take on traditional Irish music.

Local heroes Jameson’s Revenge round out the bill. Their trad sets vacillate from sweet airs to spirited reels to Horslips rock fury. Denny McCarthy, described by a peer recently as a “Hendrix of the fiddle,” leads the band through tender moments like their cover of the Beatles’ “She’s Leaving Home” that cannot be missed.

Jameson’s Revenge will be doing a warm-up gig this weekend. Catch them on June 29 at the New York Irish Center (1040 Jackson Avenue, Long Island City). Doors open at 7:30 p.m., and you will want to come early to catch downstairs hospitality with the lads. Advance tickets at www.nyirish.org.